Hey everyone,
I was on my facebook account yesterday and I am so happy to see so many good friends old and new. I hope that a lot of you have been following this blog. Some of you have known me for 40 years. Some for 20 years and some for 2 years. Some of you I have not even met. I am honored that you have chosen to follow me and, or, keep in touch with me. Thanks for your loyalty and your friendship.
I rarely talk about, or, point my readers to anyone or anything specific, especially when it comes to politics, or, how to live your life. Those things are personal choices. However, I think that I am going to start. The world could use some good sound advise every now and then. Not that I feel I alone am the man for that job, however, I feel that what I choose to read and those I choose to listen to are a darn site better than those attempting to ruin the greatest county and system the world has ever know.
I make it a point everyday to watch a specific TV program. No it's not THE VIEW. The show is on the FOX NEWS NETWORK at 5 PM in the NY area. The show is THE GLENN BECK Show. I have been watching him for about 10 months. I started watching because I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. You have to understand that within the liberal NY area which I live, the town of Ridgewood, NJ, is one of the more conservative towns overall.
Many of you who have known me for more than 20 years probably find it hard to believe that I would consider myself a conservative. Those who know me less than 15 years would find it hard to believe I was anything other than conservative. I want you to know, I know, that's confusing. So for those who have not spent any time around me lately I have changed. I have grown up. I have children. I am a conservative. There I said it!
God Bless You All!
Mark
Friday, October 29, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Hello everyone,
I wanted to start off the day with a joke about how I understand what Michelle Obama meant when she said she was, " finally, for the first time proud to be an American." But, honestly, I did not know what she was talking about. However, if she was saying that she didn't like what this country has turned into, I must agree. I don't like what this country has turned into either.
I don't like a place where only the opinion of a totally corrupt government and the ungodly of society counts and the opinion of the godly people count for nothing. I don't like a place where the mainstream media leans so far "left" that they cannot keep the government in check like they are supposed to do. I don't like a place where TV talk show hosts can lash out and call people names because they are so stupid themselves that they cannot have an open debate about the direction of the country.
It's absolutely sickening that the moral backbone of the Godly majority of this society is being deteriorated by the views of the Godless minority. If it wasn't clear in the past that this country is going to hell in a hand basket it surely is clear now! The question is, what are we going to do about it!
Stand up people! It's past time to take action people! Pray for our leaders! Pray that they will hear the still small voice of God as He calls. Pray that the will of God and the godly will be done! Pray that the power of Almighty God will be unleashed on the ungodly and they will see His light and do His will! Pray that the citizens of this country will vote for the godly person of character. Pray that the godly principled individual will be elected and will govern based on the will of God and the Godly people of this great nation.
Unfortunately, prayer is only the beginning. We must take action, "in faith," on that prayer and get out and do all we can do to make these prayers come to fruition. Everyone must spread the word of Gods great love for his people.
God Bless You!
Mark
I wanted to start off the day with a joke about how I understand what Michelle Obama meant when she said she was, " finally, for the first time proud to be an American." But, honestly, I did not know what she was talking about. However, if she was saying that she didn't like what this country has turned into, I must agree. I don't like what this country has turned into either.
I don't like a place where only the opinion of a totally corrupt government and the ungodly of society counts and the opinion of the godly people count for nothing. I don't like a place where the mainstream media leans so far "left" that they cannot keep the government in check like they are supposed to do. I don't like a place where TV talk show hosts can lash out and call people names because they are so stupid themselves that they cannot have an open debate about the direction of the country.
It's absolutely sickening that the moral backbone of the Godly majority of this society is being deteriorated by the views of the Godless minority. If it wasn't clear in the past that this country is going to hell in a hand basket it surely is clear now! The question is, what are we going to do about it!
Stand up people! It's past time to take action people! Pray for our leaders! Pray that they will hear the still small voice of God as He calls. Pray that the will of God and the godly will be done! Pray that the power of Almighty God will be unleashed on the ungodly and they will see His light and do His will! Pray that the citizens of this country will vote for the godly person of character. Pray that the godly principled individual will be elected and will govern based on the will of God and the Godly people of this great nation.
Unfortunately, prayer is only the beginning. We must take action, "in faith," on that prayer and get out and do all we can do to make these prayers come to fruition. Everyone must spread the word of Gods great love for his people.
God Bless You!
Mark
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
I'm tired of...
I am getting so tired of all the political coverage by the media. It is coming from every angle and for the most part seems very negative as usual. The finger pointing and blame game is one thing that will not change until we decide, as a people, not to pay any attention. The left, in my opinion, is the worst culprit though the right has not been much better. There in lies the problem in my opinion. Neither parties members are worth our spending time and energy on. We need to clean house!
The only way we can get this country back on track is by getting rid of the incumbents in the House and the Senate. It is our fault for not paying enough attention to the process for such a long lime, however, we can not wait any longer to fix this problem of government corruption. We the people must stand up and take responsibility for our mistakes and strive to elect individual who are bound by the Constitution and willing to put the needs of the people above their individual needs.
There are only 7 days left to rally your friends and neighbors. We must make every effort to get God respecting individuals out to vote. It is vital that we vote responsibly and at least bring the two bodies of the legislative branch of our government back into a conservative majority.
God Bl;ess You!
Mark
The only way we can get this country back on track is by getting rid of the incumbents in the House and the Senate. It is our fault for not paying enough attention to the process for such a long lime, however, we can not wait any longer to fix this problem of government corruption. We the people must stand up and take responsibility for our mistakes and strive to elect individual who are bound by the Constitution and willing to put the needs of the people above their individual needs.
There are only 7 days left to rally your friends and neighbors. We must make every effort to get God respecting individuals out to vote. It is vital that we vote responsibly and at least bring the two bodies of the legislative branch of our government back into a conservative majority.
God Bl;ess You!
Mark
Monday, October 25, 2010
Hey everyone,
I hope you had a great weekend! The end of this past week was as beautiful as last week was ugly. This week, the weather man says, will be like Indian summer. His mouth to Gods ears! That's great for me because I planted grass seed. The trees were in, "full on," color change this this weekend too. On the way to church we saw a tree that was such a bright red/orange it looked like it was on fire!
I've said it before, but, there is a lot to be said for the change of seasons. Changes brings new ideas. Of course we all have worked hard to get our kids in to the school mode and hopefully they are all doing well. But, we must not forget that fall can represent a change for adults as well. As the kids settle into their studies we can also renew our desire to learn more about ourselves and what makes us tick.
I have taken up a study of the new testament book of Hebrews. If you are new to bible study this might not be a place to start, however, I am finding it very interesting to learn more about how the new Christians of that time were dealing with the persecution of the church.
We modern humans, for whatever reason, need to feel like we are moving forward or progressing. All too often we get caught up in the material things of this world. The bigger home the better car the easier lifestyle. I think we miss the point in our progression. I think that sometimes we need to delve deeper inside to progress in our understanding of what God intended as opposed to what we want. It is a difficult balance.
One of my mentors Kurt Mortensen said "we are subjected to over a million marketing messages a day." No small wonder we can't hear what God wants us to hear. The only way I can make it work is to make sure I spend time reading Gods word. This, along with praying and listening for Gods answers, helps me to know that I am on the right track. It makes the change of the season a joy!
God Bless You!
Mark
I hope you had a great weekend! The end of this past week was as beautiful as last week was ugly. This week, the weather man says, will be like Indian summer. His mouth to Gods ears! That's great for me because I planted grass seed. The trees were in, "full on," color change this this weekend too. On the way to church we saw a tree that was such a bright red/orange it looked like it was on fire!
I've said it before, but, there is a lot to be said for the change of seasons. Changes brings new ideas. Of course we all have worked hard to get our kids in to the school mode and hopefully they are all doing well. But, we must not forget that fall can represent a change for adults as well. As the kids settle into their studies we can also renew our desire to learn more about ourselves and what makes us tick.
I have taken up a study of the new testament book of Hebrews. If you are new to bible study this might not be a place to start, however, I am finding it very interesting to learn more about how the new Christians of that time were dealing with the persecution of the church.
We modern humans, for whatever reason, need to feel like we are moving forward or progressing. All too often we get caught up in the material things of this world. The bigger home the better car the easier lifestyle. I think we miss the point in our progression. I think that sometimes we need to delve deeper inside to progress in our understanding of what God intended as opposed to what we want. It is a difficult balance.
One of my mentors Kurt Mortensen said "we are subjected to over a million marketing messages a day." No small wonder we can't hear what God wants us to hear. The only way I can make it work is to make sure I spend time reading Gods word. This, along with praying and listening for Gods answers, helps me to know that I am on the right track. It makes the change of the season a joy!
God Bless You!
Mark
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Me again!
I hope everyone reading is well! I had a very busy week last week that went through the weekend. Christy and I along with Laurie Gayle Stephenson sang a concert to benefit the Christian Health Care Center and The Eastern Christian School on Thursday. As you may recall Thursday was the day of the rain storm. The performance was in a tent. Need I say more? Still, I believe, a good time was had by all.
Friday I did something out of the ordinary. I sang at a wedding. I stopped singing at weddings some time ago though because they conflicted with other work. I forgot how much fun they are and how much joy is expressed in such a short period of time. I might be giving thought to working a few into my schedule again.
Saturday took me to St Louis, MO. That evening Marvin Hamlisch and I performed on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO., a lovely new theatre, The Bezemes Family Theatre, in the Scheidegger Center For The Performing Arts. http://www.lindenwood.edu/center/familyTheater.asp We had a blast and I met some of the nicest people. Anne Runolffson was with us that evening. It's always nice to see and work with Anne.
Sunday morning around 4 AM I awakened to fly to Chicago and then on to San Francisco. It was a rainy and dank day. The kind that's good for resting and reading a good book. That evening Marvin and I along with Maria Friedman re-opened the Venetian Room in the Fairmont Hotel to a sold out crowd and a standing ovation. The Show was presented and produced by the Bay Area Cabaret. http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco/Articles/ReferenceMaterial/BayAreaCabaret.htm The show ended around 9 PM and I was on a red-eye home by 10:30 PM.
I missed my wife and kids while I was gone, but then, that has been the constant drawback to being a performer. I pray and accept all prayers that my schedule will always be filled with wonderful work like this and I pray the same for all of you. I endeavor to strive to represent myself and my Lord in all that I do. Drop me a note and say hi every once and a while. All the best!
God Bless You!
Mark
Friday I did something out of the ordinary. I sang at a wedding. I stopped singing at weddings some time ago though because they conflicted with other work. I forgot how much fun they are and how much joy is expressed in such a short period of time. I might be giving thought to working a few into my schedule again.
Saturday took me to St Louis, MO. That evening Marvin Hamlisch and I performed on the campus of Lindenwood University in St. Charles, MO., a lovely new theatre, The Bezemes Family Theatre, in the Scheidegger Center For The Performing Arts. http://www.lindenwood.edu/center/familyTheater.asp We had a blast and I met some of the nicest people. Anne Runolffson was with us that evening. It's always nice to see and work with Anne.
Sunday morning around 4 AM I awakened to fly to Chicago and then on to San Francisco. It was a rainy and dank day. The kind that's good for resting and reading a good book. That evening Marvin and I along with Maria Friedman re-opened the Venetian Room in the Fairmont Hotel to a sold out crowd and a standing ovation. The Show was presented and produced by the Bay Area Cabaret. http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco/Articles/ReferenceMaterial/BayAreaCabaret.htm The show ended around 9 PM and I was on a red-eye home by 10:30 PM.
I missed my wife and kids while I was gone, but then, that has been the constant drawback to being a performer. I pray and accept all prayers that my schedule will always be filled with wonderful work like this and I pray the same for all of you. I endeavor to strive to represent myself and my Lord in all that I do. Drop me a note and say hi every once and a while. All the best!
God Bless You!
Mark
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Election Day is getting close.
We only have about three weeks before we get to vote again! Hurray! I'm not excited or anything. I just want all who get the opportunity to make a difference take advantage of that opportunity! Make sure you are properly vetting the candidates! Be certain that you read and understand their platforms! Don't just go blindly vote for change like so many people did in 2008. Look where that got us!
We are all responsible for the representatives we elect. We must elect people who know the constitution! We must elect strong people who, "know," who they are! People who will not be swayed by the special interest groups and the lobby's! We must take responsibility to get this country back on the right track!
Remember God has all the answers! Pray for our leaders! Pray for the candidates! Pray for guidance!
God bless you!
Mark
We are all responsible for the representatives we elect. We must elect people who know the constitution! We must elect strong people who, "know," who they are! People who will not be swayed by the special interest groups and the lobby's! We must take responsibility to get this country back on the right track!
Remember God has all the answers! Pray for our leaders! Pray for the candidates! Pray for guidance!
God bless you!
Mark
Friday, October 8, 2010
Hello Everyone!
Today I want to continue on the same basic subject as the last blog on Wednesday. I was talking about prayer and how it helps me to keep focused through the day so I don't feel as though I am always in catch-up mode. I think it is worth saying that though God is always with us and we like to think that He control's our thoughts, that is not the case. Remember we have to deal with the element of free will.
Each of us has two voices in our heads and we need to learn to control those voices. One is a positive or inspirational voice. The other is a negative or critical voice. Often I find that, depending on how much catching up I have to do, I let that critical voice slip in and say, "you'll never get this done, you'll never catch up." This is the time we must immediately turn down the volume of the critical and turn up the volume of the inspirational that says, "You can do it, one step at a time, prioritise, Gods in control."
I find that it is easier for me to control the voices if I have taken time to spend with God. We were put here to praise and worship and enjoy Him. He wants to spend time with us each day. He wants to be the, "Go To," guy in our lives! As I get used to meeting with Him on a regular basis, I find that it is easier to run things past him throughout the day.
The little voice stuff is very helpful to me. It would probably be helpful to you as well. I'll talk more about that another time. If you want to hear more things like this let me know. I pick a lot of stuff up from one of my mentors Robert Allen.
God Bless You!
Mark
Each of us has two voices in our heads and we need to learn to control those voices. One is a positive or inspirational voice. The other is a negative or critical voice. Often I find that, depending on how much catching up I have to do, I let that critical voice slip in and say, "you'll never get this done, you'll never catch up." This is the time we must immediately turn down the volume of the critical and turn up the volume of the inspirational that says, "You can do it, one step at a time, prioritise, Gods in control."
I find that it is easier for me to control the voices if I have taken time to spend with God. We were put here to praise and worship and enjoy Him. He wants to spend time with us each day. He wants to be the, "Go To," guy in our lives! As I get used to meeting with Him on a regular basis, I find that it is easier to run things past him throughout the day.
The little voice stuff is very helpful to me. It would probably be helpful to you as well. I'll talk more about that another time. If you want to hear more things like this let me know. I pick a lot of stuff up from one of my mentors Robert Allen.
God Bless You!
Mark
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Catching up...
Hello everyone. I hope you are all well and enjoying the turn of the season. Here in the northeast it is going to change whether we want it to or not, so, might as well embrace it! There is always a lot to deal with when the seasons changes. I often find myself trying to catch up. It is even worse when I go out of town for several days. When I return there is so much on my plate I have struggles getting organized.
I find that I live in a constant stage of "catching up" these days. It affects every area of my life. For instance I don't feel comfortable sitting down to blog if I have other "more important" things to do. To some degree this needs to change. Because I love to write about things that mean something to me. And I know I have a lot to share. Hopefully, some of the things I share are motivating others to take a good look at the world around them and figure out ways that they can make a change.
The one thing that is constant for me these days is the time I spend in prayer. At some point in my day, usually in the morning, after the kids Bible lesson and after they go to school I spend time with my creator. Finding time to spend with God helps me to get and stay in the, "right," frame of mind. From that point it is easier for me to see what is important. Spending time with God puts my priorities in place. It was not always this way. I didn't always find the time. However, now, spending time with God, is the best change I ever made! It is also the most important time I spend every day! It helps me stay caught up.
God Bless You!
See ya soon,
Mark
I find that I live in a constant stage of "catching up" these days. It affects every area of my life. For instance I don't feel comfortable sitting down to blog if I have other "more important" things to do. To some degree this needs to change. Because I love to write about things that mean something to me. And I know I have a lot to share. Hopefully, some of the things I share are motivating others to take a good look at the world around them and figure out ways that they can make a change.
The one thing that is constant for me these days is the time I spend in prayer. At some point in my day, usually in the morning, after the kids Bible lesson and after they go to school I spend time with my creator. Finding time to spend with God helps me to get and stay in the, "right," frame of mind. From that point it is easier for me to see what is important. Spending time with God puts my priorities in place. It was not always this way. I didn't always find the time. However, now, spending time with God, is the best change I ever made! It is also the most important time I spend every day! It helps me stay caught up.
God Bless You!
See ya soon,
Mark
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